long-standing dream of Nicholas II again comes to life: to go to monkhood, of course, with a good view of becoming a Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. This idea breaks out at a meeting with the metropolitans of St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev, and also the deputy chief procurator of the Holy Synod, V. Sabler, at the very moment when the priests are promoting their own, also long-thought-out idea of the restoration of the patriarchate. The king suddenly proposes his candidacy: implying that at the same time there will be a renunciation of the throne in favor of Tsarevich Alexei. The Synods respond with silence.
The economy of the country is developing very well. Russia ranks first in the production and export of grain, butter, per capita GDP is 3, 3 times less than that of world leaders – Britain and the US, and this gap is constantly decreasing. The duration of the working day of «ordinary people» since 1903 is limited to «only» 11.5 hours, on Saturday – 10 hours. The average salary is 26 rubles, with a living wage of 21 rubles for an idle man; if transferred to gold, 27 modern (early 2016) thousand rubles. A kilogram of lamb or beef in 1915 costs 25 kopecks. A glass of vodka in the tavern 10 cents, a bottle of vodka «Moscow Special» – 17.5 kopecks, a loaf of bread 5 cents. Perhaps this is acceptable, but about 40% of the worker’s salary goes to arbitrarily assigned fines.
Budgetaries – officials, doctors, as well as engineers at state-owned plants, receive a state pension. Only to the most military in 1914, this cash grant, on the length of service or a serious illness acquired and ordinary workers. To get a «full salary» should work, in total, 35 years, half – from 25. Condition – labor activity throughout its entire length should be «immaculate». If the employee is «removed from office» by a court decision, a simple order from his superiors, or has served a sentence for a crime, the pension is simply reset. It can be earned again by settling on some other enterprise, but in this case the count of the service starts from the same scratch.
Russia produces a lot of grain, but its eaters also have a lot – 125 million. The government encourages the export of grain abroad, in the course put forward by Minister Vyshnegradsky the slogan «We will not eat, but we will take it out.» The peasants still have less land, the yield grows 1.25 times (three times less than in England). In 1891, the food crisis occurred in the Chernozem and Volga regions; a crop failure, in the absence of peasants significant stocks of bread (an average per capita rate of 190 kilograms of grain a year). At first the government does not believe in «panic-stricken zemstvos», then, it must be admitted, it is taking urgent measures to save people. As a result, about 300 thousand people die, not actually from alimentary dystrophy (hunger), but satellites of malnutrition – various diseases (mainly cholera and typhus).
In the reign of Nicholas II such a famine will not happen again, however, questions of grain exports, stripes, periodic malnutrition, are put, and the government has no answer to them.
In December 1904, Russian troops hand over the Japanese to Port Arthur. This news shakes Russian society, but his emperor at that moment is merry, laughs, listens to anecdotes, recalls scenes of past hunts.
Patriotic mood in the country is replaced by despondency, the popularity of the emperor is reduced to a critical level.
Meanwhile, the acquaintance of the imperial family with Grigory Rasputin will take place. Prior to that, the «holy old man» travels extensively through the sacred places of Russia, visits Mount Athos and Jerusalem. Further, he comes to Moscow, where he is received by Orthodox bishops, they spread a rumor about the extraordinary abilities of «God’s man.» News reaches the ears of the empress.
So, on November 1, 1905, on a tea party, the first meeting of the emperor and two high-society ladies with Grigory Rasputin takes place.
Further meetings, already with the whole imperial family, take place about once a month. It’s not that the king loved a pilgrim, but he’s the only one who can stop the hysteria of his Alix. Grigory publishes naive, but, for his time, perhaps, readable works – «The Life of an Experienced Wanderer,» «My Thoughts and Reflections.» Many are convinced; in the words of a wanderer, there is something like that. Among the prophecies, the main thing is a will: «… I feel that I must die before the New Year. But I want, nevertheless, to open the Russian people, the Father, Mother Russian and the Children, what they will. If I am killed by simple robbers, by my brothers – Russian peasants, then you, the Tsar of Russia, do not be afraid, stay on the throne and reign, and do not be afraid for your children, for they will reign for another hundred years and beyond that. If the nobles kill me, then my blood will remain in their hands, and 25 years (before 1941 – the author) they can not wash it off. They will have to leave Russia. Then the brothers will kill the brothers, and they will kill each other. And 25 years there will be no nobles in the state. … If your relatives lead to my death, then none of your family – neither children nor relatives will survive two years later. They will all be killed by the Russian people…».
There are also prophecies about the death of plants, that «a lot of spirits will return to earth and take the forms that they already had in the past.» Interesting is the prophecy, reminiscent of genetic experiments: «Irresponsible human alchemy, in the end, will turn ants into huge monsters that will destroy houses and entire countries, fire and water will be against them. In the end, you will see flying frogs, and butterflies will become vultures, and bees will crawl along the earth like snakes. And snakes will take possession of many cities… Mice and snakes will rule over the earth. Mice will hunt mice; and lost and stunned people will have to leave whole cities and villages under the onslaught of hordes of huge mice that will destroy everything and infect the earth.
…Plants, animals and people were created to be divided. But there will come a day when there will be no more borders. And then the person will become a half-human, half-plant. And the beast will become a beast, a plant and a man. In these boundless fields a monster, called a Cobaca…».
In 1912, the Second Balkan War began. Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro enter into taste, squeeze Porto, strive to pinch a piece from each other. The forces of the parties – Turkey 475 thousand people, the Balkan Union – 620 thousand. The battles are fierce, for the first time combat airplanes are deployed, only 8 years after the flight of the Wright brothers’ fragile shelves; they drop bombs on warships. The Balkans besiege the primordially Turkish cities, get to Istanbul, bring confusion to the souls of the Ottomans, and create a political crisis in the Porte. Losses of the parties killed are approximately equal: for 30 thousand people. Turkey loses its possessions in Europe. True, Serbia never gets access to the sea: it is now hampered by the Albania formed from the «nobody’s» territory, as well as Austria-Hungary, which has sharply opposed this newly-formed country.
All this time Russia collects donations, provides the Balkan Union of volunteer pilots, makes diplomatic efforts, etc., but, by and large, does not interfere in the conflict. The reason for this is the influence on the decisions of Tsar Grigory Rasputin. It was his admonitions that put off the outbreak of World War II for two years.
July 12, 1914 in the village of Pokrovskoe, the insane Khionia Guseva, strikes Rasputin with a knife in the stomach. Three years later this woman will be released from the hospital, in 1919 she will commit an attempt already on the patriarch Tikhon; after which its traces in History are completely lost.
Sooner or later, the First World War begins. July 31, Russia is launching a general mobilization. Germany announces to the Empire an ultimatum: «Stop the deployment of forces,» and, not having achieved the desired, on August 1, 1914, declares war.
Rasputin is in the Tyumen hospital until August 17 and, this time, the king is no longer able to reason with the king. Its basic provisions sound unacceptable, insanely,
